For a memorable holiday

How often have we dreamt about living in a city close to the sea, in cottages and bungalows which have weathered the test of time and amble in quaint streets? Fort Kochi offers all this, reports Jangveer Singh

A Chinese fishing net at the Fort Kochi beach

Fort Kochi is an oasis in a concrete jungle. Residing in the heritage part of the town, one can live at a stone’s throw from the sea and gorge in make-shift eateries after purchasing one’s own catch of the day.

I have seen this advertised at many places, including Goa, but only in Kochi is there a thriving fresh sea food market that caters exclusively to tourists and semi-permanent foreigners who select their lobsters or crabs and hand them over for cooking at adjacent open-air eateries at a nominal cost.

The cosmopolitan nature of the town as well as the friendly and honest manner in which tourism is handled is sure to surprise many.

Foreigners have taken to Fort Kochi more than the Indian tourist who is keener to visit the backwaters of Alleppey and Kumarakom. Business has also catered themselves to foreign tastes with it being impossible to get an idli, vada or dosa in the heritage area. One is compensated with beautiful cafes including the Kashi Art Caf which offers fixed menus and was serving tuna sandwich for lunch when we visited it. For a life time tea tasting experience there is the teapot, which has a variety of teas on offer.

Eating seafood is part of the Kochi experience. We had our own little adventure with crab meat being unable to get to the juicy flesh of a giant crab for a good ten minutes. A few months back I had tasted only the marination of a teeny crab in a Goan restaurant without getting to the flesh and tick marked crab as ‘tasted’ on my mental gourmet list.

The beauty of Fort Kochi is that you can walk around it and take in the major landmarks or even take one of the numerous autorickshaws on hire at around 51 per hour. The auto rickshaw drivers are scrupulously honest and ours would wait for more than an hour outside our hotel in the morning without charging anything extra.

Among the sites is the St Francis church which is an example of the style of architecture of the earliest churches in the country. Inside the church we found something unusual – tomb stones of both the Portuguese and the Dutch. The Vicar told us early churches were also used as cemeteries. The mortal remains of Vasco Da Gama were also buried here but were later relocated to Portugal. Within walking distance to the St Francis church is the more ornate Basilica of Santa Cruz which stands on the foundations of the old cathedral built by the Portuguese.

Silver processional crosses at the Indo-Portuguese museum in fort Kochi. — Photos by the writer

The Portuguese presence in Fort Kochi is best reflected in the Indo – Portuguese museum which is very efficiently managed and showcases early Portuguese influences and artifacts in a modern building built by a Lisbon based foundation. These include altar pieces from old Portuguese churches as well as remarkable silver covered Processional Crosses from the Santa Cruz cathedral and other places.

The living heritage of Fort Kochi can be seen by taking leisurely walks visiting Koder House, Vasco House, Bishop’s house and the Pierce Leslie Bungalow besides others. The Koder House, which is a hotel now, has interior floor tiles set in a chess pattern and a collection of wood carved furniture. The Bishop’s house, originally built in 1506, stands on a gentle hillock with a circular garden path leading to the main entrance which is dominated by large Gothic arches. The Pierce Leslie bungalow is characterized by its arched doorways and carved doors.

The autorickshaw comes in handy to visit Jew Street and Mattancherry Palace which are a few kilometers away from the heritage zone but are part of the same historical tradition. Jew Street now has only a few surviving Jews including Sarah of Sarah Embroidery who continues to sell delicate lace work with Jewish symbols. The street has the old Jewish synagogue at one extreme which is presently being restored under a World Heritage Monument Fund project. The rest of the street has been taken over by antique shops which have a mind blowing treasure house of the old and the not so old and one is tempted to buy almost everything on offer.

There’s much more to offer, be it watching artists don makeup for a Kathakali performance to the dance itself, taking tours to the nearby backwaters or visiting attractions of Munnar and Thekaddy. But for many just soaking in the atmosphere of the heritage area is a holiday to remember.

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